Magnesium reduces death from cardiovascular disease
Additional evidence that magnesium is important in reducing mortality from cardiovascular disease is offered in a study recently published in the journal Atherosclerosis. The authors' intent was to...
"...investigate the relationship between dietary magnesium intake and mortality from cardiovascular disease in a population-based sample of Asian adults."
They examined 58,615 healthy Japanese aged 40–79 years for dietary magnesium intake by a validated food frequency questionnaire administered over two years with a median 14.7-year follow-up. During that time they documented 2690 deaths from cardiovascular disease (1227 deaths from strokes and 557 deaths from coronary heart disease). What did the data reveal for the importance of magnesium?
"Dietary magnesium intake was inversely associated with mortality from hemorrhagic stroke in men and with mortality from total and ischemic strokes, coronary heart disease, heart failure and total cardiovascular disease in women. The multivariable hazard ratio (95% CI) for the highest vs. the lowest quintiles of magnesium intake after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factor and sodium intake was 0.49 (0.26–0.95), P for trend=0.074 for hemorrhagic stroke in men, 0.68 (0.48–0.96), P for trend=0.010 for total stroke, 0.47 (0.29–0.77), P for trend<0.001 for ischemic stroke, 0.50 (0.30–0.84), P for trend=0.005 for coronary heart disease, 0.50 (0.28–0.87), P for trend=0.002 for heart failure and 0.64 (0.51–0.80), P for trend<0.001 for total cardiovascular disease in women."
In other words, the overall risk for stroke and heart disease was reduced by approximately half. Bear in mind that calcium opposes magnesium; this is the likely mechanism by which calcium supplementation can promote cardiovascular inflammation. The authors state:
"In conclusion, dietary magnesium intake was associated with reduced mortality from cardiovascular disease in Japanese, especially for women."
You may wish to read earlier posts on magnesium, calcium and cardiovascular disease by entering these terms as search items above.